An Unexpected Treasure

Photo Story

An Unexpected Treasure

ID # 2690

Introduction: My intent in sharing this story is to explore what happens when a person with negative ideas of a foreign country encounters that place for the first time. Upon completion of this photo story, students will be able to recognize the complexity of modern South Africa’s history and identify current issues facing Cape Town.

This story is geared towards students in Grade 12.

 

“I’m going to South Africa,” my wife said. “You should come with me.”

That was more or less the whole discussion. My wife was going overseas to experience public health programs in Cape Town, and she insisted that I take a break from summer classes and keep her company while she studied. I was apprehensive about the whole thing because I’d heard a lot about violence and crime in South Africa over the years.

Photo 1: Devil’s Peak. Cape Town, South Africa.

Photo # 1: This is a picture of Devil’s Peak at sunset, taken from the eastern Cape Town suburb of Observatory, where we stayed.  When we checked in at the small bed and breakfast, the owner, a black South African named Elias, gave us lots of safety tips and advice. Chief among his warnigs was to avoid being outside at night. Fearful of the stories we’d heard of Cape Town, my wife and I stopped only briefly to take this picture. Night was falling, and we wanted to get indoors! Question: Would you be afraid of traveling in some foreign countries? of traveling somewhere in America?

Our fears only lasted a couple days. As is so often the case, it was food that lured us out of hiding. You see, we were in Cape Town in the month of June. South Africa is far south of the equator, meaning of the seasons are the opposite of what we have. It was late autumn there, almost winter. The days were short, and that didn’t leave a lot of time for eating dinner if you’re trying to avoid the nighttime! Our third evening there, we walked a few blocks to a nearby restaurant. Our biggest problem? Interpreting the waiter’s thick South African accent (he pronounced bill as “bull”).

Photo # 2: City Hall, a Symbol of Freedom

Photo #2: Above is city hall. In the center of the photograph you can just make out the balcony where Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, gave his first public address after his long imprisonment on the notorious Robben Island. On that day, instead of neat rows of cars was a sea of cheering South Africans, who’d gathered to hear their hero speak. The era of Apartheid, South Africa’s system of racial segregation, was finally ending.

Bit by bit, we came to know more about the city of Cape Town and the country of South Africa in general. The turblent image I’d had in my mind gave way to a picture of utter normalcy. People went about their business, attended school, took vacations. Strangers waved you welcome when you passed by their stalls and shops in the city. Locally made clothing, toys, and trinkets were sold along with cellphones and junk food. In that respect, it was like any other city in the world.

Photo # 3: No Baboons!

Photo # 3: Okay, so you usually don’t have to worry about baboons in Chicago. My point stands; even on the other side of the world,  a traveller finds a familiar pattern of life and activity. The above photo was taken at one of the many vineyards that dot the land in and around Cape Town. Here, visitors were welcome to stroll the grounds, purchase souvenirs, and admire the view of the mountains… just so long as they didn’t have any picnics. Question: What do you imagine when you think of Africa? Do you think of cities, vineyards, and picnics? Why or why not?

For me, truly understand South Africa was a two-stage process. The first stage consisted of learning to see past the history and crime statistics and coming to know the living, breathing modern day reality of the country. Cape Town truly is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city. The second stage was learing to see such a wonderful place in light of the history and statistics.

Photo # 4: Mountain-top View of Cape Town and the Remains of District 6

Photo # 4: Notice the green, grassy area in the center of the picture? It looks like a large city park. That is what remains of District 6, a mixed-race neighborhood that was torn down to make way for homes for white Afrikaaners in the 1970s. Tens of thouands of people were forcibly evicted from their homes and relocated to what’s known as the townships, which are essentially shantytowns. Question: How would you react if you were told that your house would be demolished to make way for homes for someone much wealthier?

The new neighborhood was never even built. Today, only a few residences have been constructed. A handful of victims of the forced relocation live in those buildings. The mostly empty lots stand in a silent testament to South Africa’s turbulent history. When we passed through the area, we noticed that small groups of people were living in tents erected on the grassy mounds where homes once stood.

Photo #5: This is Our Home

Photo # 5:  Our cab driver from the airport, a friendly man named Erufan, told us that a large percentage of Cape Town’s 3 million residents call the townships their home. Many do not have running water or even electricity. Above is a photo of the township Imizamo Yethu (ee-mi-zam-o yet-hu). Many similar neighborhoods were erected by the refugees of District 6’s destruction. Question: Have you ever had a long water or electricity outage? Was it difficult? How would it affect your daily life you didn’t ever have water and electricity at home?

Fortunately, there are a variety of individuals and organizations both within and outside the townships that work to improve the lives and opportunities of residents. The government is continuously building permanent homes and infrastructure, and charitable organizations as far away as Ireland are also helping with construction. Cape Town businessmen provide safe, fun tours for tourists that inject cash directly into the local economies through sales of food and souvenirs.

Photo # 6: Camps Bay

Photo # 6: Here is the beautiful Camps Bay, home to surfers and shipwrecks and where the water is warmer in winter than in the summer! The water here is generally chilly, but in the summertime, ice-cold water from melting Antarctica glaciers flows into the bay and makes the beach water even colder. Note that everyone is bundled up- winter was just a couple days away here in the southern hemisphere!

Among the people strolling around the beach were groups of young men. They walked up to anyone they found on the shore, offering to sell hand-painted abstracts of township and rural scenery on rolls of sand-crusted canvass. My wife and I bought  some of their art- not only because they were beautiful, but also because buying local arts and crafts is one of the best ways for outsiders to support local growth. The art of Cape Town’s townships, by the way, is simply amazing.

Photo #7: Nelson Mandela and The Coca Cola Man

Photo #7: These are statues of famed South African civil rights leaders and politicians. Their achievements in bringing unity to South Africa are memorialized in this monument. The monument is located at an upscale shopping center in a wealthy area of Cape Town, where many of the poor -the people most affected by the actions of South Africa’s heroes- will never see them. The large red figure in the background is a massive Coca Cola sculpture, which dwarfs the memorial. Question: What do you think of  a Coca Cola statue standing higher than a memorial of South African civil rights leaders?

By now, I hope that students have seen some of the effects of South Africa’s turbulent modern history and learned about the complexity of the issues facing Cape Town. I came afraid of South Africa’s reputation, but went home thankful for the opportunity to see such a wondrous, complicated city. Where in history there was ignorance and hatred, today I saw much reconciliation and opportunity. Where there was poverty, I saw both locals and outsiders coming together to develop communities.  Where I heard stories of violence, I experienced human beings living familiar lives. Cape Town is a city that remembers its dark past and believes in a brighter future. Truly, it was an unexpected treasure

Photos by Chris and Jessie Casberg